Glory to God in the Highest!

What was the first thing that you thought about when you woke up this morning? Was it, by chance, reveling in God’s glory? Did you think about the glory of God when you went to work, or sat down to lunch? How about when you got home, and spent time with the wife and kids? Or when you lay your head down on your pillow at night?

If you’re like me the chances are that you didn’t. In fact, you probably didn’t think about the glory of God much at all today, or yesterday, or ever. As Paul says in Romans 3:23, ”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. How true a statement! In fact, I would wager to say that ‘falling short’ is far, far too lenient an expression to describe the gap in where we stand in relation to the glory of God!

I want to look at some of the definitions of “glory” as found on dictionary.com to show what I mean:
-noun
1. very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown
2. something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride
3. adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
–verb
10.to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly

Now let’s think of Jesus with these definitions in mind. In everything that Jesus said and did, he gave very great praise and honor to the Father – At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants”. (Matt 11:25) God is the source of Jesus’ honor - And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:18) Jesus is always praising and thanking God – Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. (John 6:11), So they removed the stone Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. (John:11:41), And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. (Matt 26:27)

Jesus, before the world was, was in the full glory of God. He alone has understood and given to the Father the glory that He deserves as a Holy, perfect God.

And then we were created in the image of God. We were created to be reflections of the glory of God. Instead, we exchanged the glory of the almighty God to give glory to ourselves. Rather than imaging forth the goodness and glory of God, we have chosen to show the world how great we are. We have forsaken His good and Holy word to make our own decisions as to what is right. All sin stems from exchanging the glory of God for the desires of the self.

We are all guilty of this sin. Think of the above definition of glory, and compare yourself to Jesus. Are you praising God for everything? When you wake up in the morning, drink your coffee and eat your breakfast, when you arrive safely at work, and have a job to go to, when you interact with your friends and coworkers, when you spend time with your family, when you lay down at night – are you thinking about God and his glory? Do you not agree that you sin and fall short of this glory?

And as a Holy and just judge, He must punish sin. We are all deserving of the death that Jesus faced on the cross – that death was yours to die! An eternity in hell is all that we sinners deserve for not glorifying God as we should.

And I am so thankful that Jesus Christ, Lord and savior of my life, was the one who did give God the perfect glory that I am wholly unable to do, and that He willingly gave His life in place of mine, facing the death that I deserve, taking the punishment for my sin that should rightfully be mine!

This thought spurs in my heart the desire to give the glory to God that He so rightfully deserves. I know that I will never be perfect, but my heart is opened to this! Glory to God in the highest!

An Exhortation to Parents

At our communion service a few weeks ago, a member of our church told a story. It was a story of a little boy that she taught piano lessons to. She could tell that this boy was struggling, and so she would pray for him. Years later this boy, then a man, was baptized and became a member at Prairie Rose. A few years after that, this man preached to her. That man of whom she was speaking was me.

The telling of this story reminded me of what it was like to grow up in Landmark. She was very right – I was struggling in school. Not with grades, but socially. From the day that I entered kindergarten, 8 months into the year, I found it difficult to make friends. I always felt on the outside of all of the social groups. Maybe not so much in the earlier, elementary years, but definitely in junior and senior high.

Perhaps I was an awkward child that repelled others away from me. I know that I was sexualized around the age of 13, being exposed to pornography then, and I am aware that that manifested itself in perverse speech and actions. Surely this turned some away from me. I remember my mother telling me that some parents didn’t really like me either, and so kept their children away from me.

It is so very true that I struggled in school as a social outcast. One of the places that I should have been able to find solace and friends were in church events. I attended boy’s club, and Sunday school on my own after my parents stopped taking us. I remember asking a fellow student to teach me how to pray. It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying to find some way to fit in.

But where I should have met with open arms and acceptance, I found myself running headlong into hypocrisy. Quite often during the church events I was treated just as poorly as when I was in school. I remember this one time at some event at the church we were planning a 30 hour famine. I was excited to participate, however some of the boys were making fun of me and throwing things at me. I got so frustrated, I ripped up my pledge form and walked home.

I know that part of the reason that I gave up my faith when I was 16 was because the Christian kids that I interacted with were far from acting like they should. I didn’t need to believe in God to act like them. To act like the world.

The story told by the member in our church and the devotion that I gave got me thinking. Christians should not act this way, and neither should our children. Should we let the world dictate how our children interact socially with other children? The world operates on popularity – ‘cool’ kids are accepted, while ‘nerdy, geeky, awkward’ kids are not. This kind of social dichotomy should not exist in Christian families.

We need to teach our children as Jesus taught through the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man falls into the hands of robbers, is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite both pass him by on the other side of the road, while a Samaritan – one marginalized by the people of Jesus’ time – went out of his way to help the man. We need to teach our children that status or “popularity” should have no bearing on the value of a person. Jesus loved the people that the world looked down on – the poor, lepers, prostitutes, sinners. We need to do likewise, and in doing so teach our children to also do likewise.

I am always encouraged when someone tells me that they were praying for me when I strayed from the Lord. When I hear this, part of me also wonders, “Why didn’t you say something to me?” When I turned from my sinful lifestyle, I can’t tell you how many people said to me things like, “I always thought he was bad for you”, or “I wanted to tell you that I thought your lifestyle was wrong.” I almost wish that they had said something to me – surely I would have rejected their ‘helpful’ advice at the time. But things like that have a way of sticking in the heart of a person.

Could the member from our church have done more to intervene in my life? Possibly, but I don’t want to speculate on things past. God used these things in my life to bring me to where I am today, and today I have a message on my heart – We must learn from the mistakes of the past. I know that (and forgive me if this sounds somewhat ideological) there are many things I want to do as a parent that are far different from the things my parents did when they were raising us. God wasn’t at the core of my family life growing up, but He will be at the core with us now.

And one of the things that I want Aidan to know is to love the kids who are pushed off into the margins. We as parents know who these kids are – the member saw the struggle in me and thought to pray for me – we are not blind to this fact. We need to encourage our children to love these marginalized kids. And we as parents should do our part to love them also, troubled as they may be.

The longing of each person’s heart is to be loved. Sometimes even the smallest gesture, such as telling that person that you are praying for them, can mean the world to a person. When I think of boy’s club now, I think of Kevin Plett, and how he often went out of his way to make sure that he said hi to me, or to pat me on the back. Let us all look for these struggling children and keep them in our prayers, but also to reach out to them and let them know that they are loved.

Now, I realize that all of you have been parents longer than I have, and I want you to know that I am not intending this to be an indictment to any of you. I preach this to myself first of all, and expect to be held accountable, that I might do as I tell others to do. Father I pray that this word would land on the parents who read it and that Your Spirit would write it on their hearts.

Baptism and Communion Devotion

This morning we were witness to the newest members of our church being baptized. These brave people stood up here in front of you all, confessed their sins, and shared with you how God has been acting in their lives, drawing them closer to Him. In this they have obeyed the command of Peter in Acts 2:38 – “Peter said to them, "Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Tonight we will take part in the Lord’s Supper, His communion. We will partake in the bread and blood of the new covenant, and remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. Tonight, these new members will be able to do this for the first time.

But what does this all mean? Why is it that Christians participate in these ceremonies? Why do we baptize, and why do we take communion? For, we know that baptism does not save a person. What you witnessed this morning was not a dramatic, miraculous conversion – all that happened was they had some water poured on their heads. What you will experience tonight is nothing miraculous either. You will eat your piece of bread and drink your thimble of juice, and all that will be changed is you will be a little more full than you were.

I think that most of us know that in and of them selves, baptism and communion do not produce salvation, but rather that they are symbols of miraculous events that point to something else. There are two main ways in which people are baptized: by pouring, which we saw this morning. This is a symbol of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, as in Acts 2. The other is baptism by immersion, where a person goes completely under the water. This is a symbol of a person being buried like Jesus, going down a dead sinner, and raising as a new creation.

Paul confirms this in Romans 6:3-4 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Communion too is a symbol, as Jesus explains in Luke 23:19-20 - And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

So we celebrate these symbolic gestures in a Christian’s life. Baptism when a person wants to outwardly show their transformation in Jesus Christ. Communion as a way of remembering what it is that Christ did for us on the cross.

But the real question is, what is going to happen when we walk out of these doors after the service tonight? What difference are these symbols going to make tomorrow, when you go back to school, or head into work. Are the events that took place under this roof today going to matter to each of you individually, and to the world around you tomorrow?

Because it is so easy for us to walk out these sanctuary doors, and to simply forget about what these symbols mean. Maybe not instantly, as though you walk out the door and forget where you’ve just been. But gradually, as the weeks go by, as the months and seasons change. Eventually your baptism becomes just another day in the distant past, and your remembering turns into forgetting.

I’ve seen it happen before and perhaps so have you. A new Christian is born again, and their hunger for the knowledge of God’s word sees them making giant leaps and bounds very quickly. They study the word and become very familiar with its power. Great change is seen in their lives as they rid themselves of their former sinful habits, replacing them with works of faith.

Non-Christian friends of this person raise their eyebrows when they pass by – they are definitely not the same person that they were before! When asked why the change, the person credits God for doing a great work in them, and this causes their friends to sneer. Their old, non-Christians friends are slowly replaced with Christian ones. To the Christian, everything is going just as it should be – they are in love with God and His ways, and their life shows it.

Then years later, you look at this Christian and see that the world has crept back into their life. Compromise after compromise has the person looking much like the pre-baptism dead person that once lived. The realization that being dead to sin doesn’t quite mean that sin won’t come hits home, and the Christian gets discouraged often. The Christian has backslidden into their old ways.

Brothers and sisters, we must not let this happen, to ourselves, and to our newest members! For those of you who feel that you are backslidden, or are heading in that direction, do not despair! But know also that you cannot stay in that state.

So what can we do in order to make sure that this doesn’t happen to us? Or if it has happened, what can we do to get out of this situation? In the book of Romans Paul exhorts us with a powerful command, and anyone who is serious about their faith should listen, and hear. This command can be found in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2:

Paul tells us that we are to be living and holy sacrifices, offering our own bodies to God. Paul is saying this in contrast to the Old Testament sacrificial system which was also loaded with symbols – Placing the hands on the head of a goat and transferring the sins from the people to the animal which was then killed on an altar; a bloody system that pointed to the final sacrifice in Jesus.

Now we are called to be living sacrifices, and the means by which we are commanded to do this is by not being conformed to the pattern of this world. We are to live our lives set apart from the world according to the words that God has commanded us. This means that we are to live our lives in such a way that is so unlike the world that non-Christians will look at us and see something different and beautiful – that they will see God in the way that we live, and they will want it! We are to live our lives as symbols that represent Jesus.

This is nothing new. In Genesis when God looks at the wicked people of the earth and decides to wipe them out, he spares Noah because he is righteous and blameless among the people of his time (Gen 6:9). He obeys God when he is told to build an ark while the rest of the world continues on eating and drinking and being married, up until the day of the flood.

When God gives Abraham the covenant of circumcision, He tells Abraham that this physical sign will distinguish the Israelites as God’s people over the rest of the world

When God gives Moses the law, He is telling the people that they are to live according to this law, forsaking the practices of the people groups around them because their practices are wicked, and the word of God is Holy.

And that is what it means to be Holy, to be set apart in a righteous way. And that is how Paul tells us that we should live. But this is no easy task right? After all, we live in the world, and it is the world around us that shapes much of our daily lives.

Well, we can live in the world and not be conformed to the world. So we need to take a look at what it means to be conformed to the world. The definition of conform is to act in accordance with the prevailing standards, attitudes, and practices of society or a group; or to be or become similar in form, nature, or character. So to conform to the world is to act the way the world acts, and to think the way that the world thinks.

And this is so dangerous, because the world at large doesn’t think and act in Godly ways most of the time! We live in a society that tells you every day that you need to live for yourself – make yourself more comfortable, make yourself more financially secure, make yourself more entertained, make yourself happier, life is all about you!

We also live in a very relativistic society, one that says ‘whatever I believe in is right for me, and whatever you believe in is right for you, and we can live in harmony as long as neither of us tells the other that what they believe is wrong.’

So it isn’t very hard to see why Paul tells us that we should not be conformed to the world – because the world hates God. Many will look at the bible and see it as a book that limits happiness – In this world you will have suffering, or trouble, Jesus says in John 16:33 – The world says, “I don’t want suffering and trouble!” Matthew 19:21, Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The world says, “Sell all my possessions and give to the poor? Then I’ll be poor and I won’t have any possessions!” John 14:6, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The world says, “Jesus is the only way to heaven? Well I don’t believe that, and you are standing here and telling me that I am wrong? How dare you!”

Brothers and sisters, we cannot allow ourselves to align our thoughts with the thoughts of the world. James 4:4 says, You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Rather we need to align our thoughts with the thoughts of God, and not be conformed to the world. We need to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. I believe that this means that we need to look radically different than the world, in every aspect

First, we need to love God. Mark 12:29-30 says, "Jesus answered, "The most important [commandment]is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' We Christians are all here today because we were called by God (Rom 6:1), and God has revealed to us the beauty of Christ’s death and touched us with His love, and for this we must be eternally thankful. We need to make loving God the most important thing that defines our lives.

Secondly, in order to love God, we need to know God, and the only way that we are to know God is to know His Word. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. God wrote this book so that we would know the right way to live. Use this book to teach yourself, to rebuke yourself, to correct yourself and to train yourself in righteousness

Third, we need to obey God. James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Jesus also says in Luke 6:46-49, Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

By grounding ourselves in the word and putting the commands we hear in the word into practice, we are building on the strong foundations that God has laid down. When the storm hits – when the trouble and suffering come, or when temptation strikes us – we will be unshaken because of our deep roots in the love of God, and the obedience that comes from faith. The alternative is very clear – hearing the word of God and not doing what it says will lead to complete destruction when the storm comes.

Finally, we need to reflect the glory of God. We were created in the image of God, and as such we are to look like God. When you love God, when you know God, and when you obey God, you will begin to look very different to the world. As you are drawn deeper and deeper into the love of God, you will begin to be less like the world, you will love what God loves and hate what God hates. And people will definitely look differently at you. When they ask you, “why are you doing this? Why are you acting this way?” be sure to tell them that it is God working in you

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matt 5:14-16

In summary, consider the symbolism of this day. Baptism candidates: this morning you were baptized, an outward symbol of your faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Tonight, all baptized believers are invited to take place in communion, a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, the bread symbolizing His body, and the juice symbolizing His precious blood.

And as we leave here today, let our lives be a symbol to the world of the goodness and glory of God by loving, and knowing, and being obedient to God. Let us be salt and light to the world, so they will look upon us and see, and desperately want what their hearts long for: the eternal love of the Father in Heaven

At the Doctor's Office

So I’m sitting here at the doctor's office waiting for our doctor to show up so we can find out whether or not Holly will be induced in the near future. She told me this morning that she is a bit scared, thinking that we will be having a baby very soon. How much are our lives going to change, with lazy weekends soon to be replaced by busy baby-chasing weekends, and get-up-and-go replaced with get-the-car-seat-and-make-sure-we-have-everything-in-the-diaper-bag-and-don't-forget-the-baby.

I don't feel exactly the same way that Holly does. I am definitely less scared and overall worried than she is. True I don't have to push the baby out, but that is only a small part in comparison. I know that in the past I have told Holly to take comfort in Matthew 6, where Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives. I think that this section of scripture has been a great help to me since we became pregnant. Jesus tells us not to worry about how we will feed and clothe ourselves because God is good and will provide for us.

Part of the reason that Jesus tells us not to worry is because there is so much in this world that is beyond our control - and isn't that what so many people worry about? No one worries about things that they have complete control over. But there are just so many things in this world that a person can lose themselves worrying over.

Hence the other part of the reason that Jesus tells us not to worry. God is watching over us, feeding the birds of the air and clothing the fields of the land. If God is able and willing to feed and clothe these, how much more will he provide for us? He knows that we need these things. Jesus tells us that we are to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to [us] as well"

God doesn't want us to waste any time worrying about things that are beyond our control. Rather, we need to seek God, and His kingdom and His righteousness, and those things that we are worried about will be taken care of by Him. After all, He is in control.

Therefore, when you are finding yourself stuck in the cyclical trap of worry, take that concern and forward it on to God. Let Him worry about what the future brings, and receive from Him the peace that surpasses all understanding.

"Why do you call me good?"

If you were to ask a number of people, “What must a person do in order to get to Heaven?” you will probably come across the answer, “All you need to do is be a good person – be good to others and to yourself.” I’ve heard this kind of answer from non-Christians and Christians alike.

Now I can understand why such a sentiment could be rather popular – no one wants to go around thinking “I’m a terrible person,” all the time. Such a thought is bad for the self-esteem. And, as long as you aren’t killing people and stealing from them, that pretty much makes you a ‘good person’ right? After all, there are so many worse people in this world, as long as you are better than them you should be ok, right?

For the true Christian, such an answer should never pass from their lips. There are two major reasons I feel this way. First of all, God doesn’t expect goodness from us. Aiming for goodness is far too low for the Christian. Rather, Jesus commands us in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” I would say that there is a bit of a gap between goodness and perfection.

In fact, this standard of perfection set forth by the bible brings to light the spectrum upon which ‘goodness’ can be found. If perfection is the absolute best that a person could be, then one can infer that there is a bottom point, as well as a seemingly infinite middle area upon which ‘goodness’ can be measured. The question then becomes, how does a person define the parameters that declare their position on this scale of goodness? Does performing a certain number of good deeds move you up on the scale, while doing bad things (or not doing good things) slides you down?

The second reason I disagree with such a mindset is very simple – I don’t understand how any Christian can hold such a view in the light of Jesus’ own words in Mark 10:17-18 : As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God.”

How can anyone believe that there is a spot in Heaven for “good people” when Jesus Himself rejects that notion about Himself. If Jesus Christ did not allow Himself to be called good, how can anyone else say of themselves, “I am a good person”?

People often try to tell me that I am a good person, but I know in my heart that I am not. Sure, I may be a nice guy, and sometimes I do good things for other people. But in my heart I am a wicked sinner. People see a rosy exterior, but if they saw into the window of my heart, they would run from me. I may climb a few rungs on the ladder of goodness, but when I sin against God, I fall right down to the bottom. No, I am not a good person.

And as Jesus says, no one is good except God. That is why I reject the notion that a person who is good merits an eternal place in Heaven. If that were the case, only God would reside in Heaven. No, the true Christian will acknowledge the word of God when answering a question like the one posed above. They will answer with the words of Jesus – that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the father but through Him. That it is by grace alone that a person is saved – that no good deed will ever be “good” enough. That it’s all about God, and not about you.

A Walk With the Mormons

I see them often, wandering the lonely streets of Old St. Vital. Often, because they live in the building across the street from me. I’ve always wanted to take the opportunity that they throw themselves into on a daily basis to probe them, and try to understand them. The other night I got my chance.

Holly and I were just leaving to go for a walk when they approached us. The two of them in their nice shirts and ties, and the nice black jackets they had on. One of them had a nametag that indicated that he was an elder, and below the name – “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”.

Yes I was about to get to know the Mormons for the first time, and to be able to test them to see if their doctrine was biblically sound. I let them talk first – they clearly had a monologue prepared – telling us how they were missionaries and how it was their great pleasure to be able to share a message that can make a real difference in a person’s life. The following are the points that they made, and what I said to them in response, to the best of my recollection.

Jesus Christ came to the Americas after His resurrection to spread the Gospel there
According to the Mormons, when Jesus spoke of the “sheep which are not of this fold” (John 10:16) He was referring to the people of the Americas. I asked them, “How did Jesus manage to cross the ocean, spread the gospel there, return to Jerusalem, and do all of the things mentioned in the bible when there were only forty days between His resurrection and His ascension?” Considering how long it may have taken by boat to cross the ocean, if such a thing were even possible in Jesus’ time – I mean, Paul had a heck of a time getting from Caeserea to Rome, a journey which by the sounds of it took maybe a month or two, and the distance is far less than that of the Atlantic Ocean.

I was told that Jesus ascended into heaven, and then descended back into the Americas. “But,” I said, “that isn’t what scripture says.” My bible says that Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. He said “It is finished” as he hung dying on the cross – His work was finished, why did He need to continue to spread the gospel Himself? Had he not commissioned us to be the ones who were to go to all the unreached people in all the ends of the earth?

They had no answer.

The gospel contained within the book of Mormon was written on gold plates and buried in the ground because the people who preached this word were not well received, and faced persecution for their testimony.
Two questions sprung from this statement – why would God desire for His word to be written on plates of gold? Gold is valuable here on earth, but to God, gold has about as much worth as dirt – the streets of heaven are paved with gold.

Gold, they explained, was a very malleable metal, which made the embossing of the word very easy. They also said that it was a better material because it could withstand the test of time, whereas paper deteriorated. True – except that early manuscripts of the bible were written on parchment, the skins of animals, and they survived time quite well, undisturbed. The location of the plates today? They were taken away by the Lord as their purpose on the earth had been fulfilled.

Secondly, how can the testimony of the Mormons be trusted when you consider the difference in responses? The Mormons receive their word from God and preach it in the area, and their message is rejected. Because their message is rejected, and they are facing persecution, their message is hidden away, buried underground, forgotten for 2000 years. On the other hand, the apostles of Jesus preached their message and their message is often rejected, and they too face persecution. Only the apostles continue to preach their message, each and every one of them unto death.

Why did they bury their testimony? If they knew that it was true, should they not have preached it unto death also? Were they ashamed of the message they preached? I felt the response I got was a bit of a cop out – no one knows the will of God, and why He decided that this was the way He chose to do it. The people of the Americas weren’t ready for that message, and so they were buried until God decided that they were.

Our unborn child is free from sin, and should he die shortly after birth, he will go to heaven
I agree with part of this statement, that if our baby, heaven forbid, should die as an infant that he will go to heaven. Not because he is free from sin – the bible states that infants are not: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5) It’s pretty clear that David didn’t believe that he was free from sin as an infant. I believe that infants that die go to heaven because of their lack of understanding of right and wrong, and we could debate what the age of accountability would be. But I know that my little baby growing inside my wife has a sinful nature just like me

We are responsible for working out our own salvation
I asked them what their thoughts were on predestination, quoting Ephesians 1:4: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love.” At first they didn’t seem to know what I was talking about, so I spelled it out for them. According to this verse, before God said “Let there be light,” God was planning the lives of all the people He would create, saying this person will be in my kingdom, this person will not. After saying this they made the above statement, to which I responded, “so you are more of a works leading to salvation kind of church?”

The junior responded, ‘Faith without works is dead.”
“Yes”, I said, “faith without works is dead, but works that are a product of faith are the works that that verse is referring to. What you are talking about is works of faith that lead to salvation. How many people do you need to save in order to be allowed entrance into heaven?”
“Only ourselves,” they said.
“But you can’t even save yourselves, only God can save a person.” They agreed.

The only true way to heaven is to accept the authority of the Book of Mormon as the completion of the gospel.
I noticed their desire to push this book as part of their message harder than anything. Their claim was that they had read it and that they accept that it is the authoritative word of God. Their desire for us was that we too would read the book and accept it as the authority of God.

Holly asked them the greatest question – “So are you saying that if we don’t accept the book of Mormon as true, then we’re not going to heaven?” They were very careful to say that God was the one who decided who went to heaven or hell, but that essentially, yes if we didn’t accept the book of Mormon then we weren’t believing in the one true way.

“So you are putting yourself in the same boat as the pope who claimed that Catholicism is the only true way to heaven because they recognize the primacy of the pope. We don’t worship the pope, we don’t worship a book – we worship Jesus Christ – and He said the He was the way, and the truth, and the life, and the only way to the father. What if you are wrong about your book?” I asked.

“Then we are wrong,” was their only response. At this point they decided that it was nice to talk to us, and if we knew anyone else who might be interested in chatting with them. We declined and went on our separate ways.

I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with these people. It makes me glad that God brought scripture to mind at the right time. The elder admitted that he didn’t have a great understanding of the bible. I am thankful that I have read the whole New Testament, and have listened to the whole bible on my iPod several times over.

Please pray for the Mormons, especially these two. Pray that the seeds that were sown would sprout into true faith!

To you I lift up our Holy Bible, the word of the Lord. Cherish its words, and read them always! Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15)

God of the Economy

Last night I was watching the news and a thought struck me. President Obama has come up with a 1 trillion dollar bailout plan to buy up all of the bad debt that the banks are saddled with, in hopes that such a move will spur the banks on to new lending and that consumers will begin to spend again, pulling our economies out of recession.

Thinking about this reminded me of the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

I know, I know, how does the economy have anything to do with the Tower of Babel? Well here’s what I thought. The intent of the people was to build a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven so they could make a name for themselves. This must have been quite the city plan – all of the world’s people spoke the same language and used the same words. This would definitely have made the foreman’s job easy – everyone would be in understanding of what needed to be done. And in order that they might not be scattered about the earth, they would have all needed houses to live in. I imagine a huge undertaking, the whole population of the earth at the time teeming in this one area, building a massive city. As people finished their houses, they joined in the building of the massive tower that stood at the city center.

Now let’s think about towers. How tall might a tower have been to reach into heaven? The distance between the ground and space is roughly 80 kilometres. That’s quite the distance, if that is what they considered heaven. The world’s tallest free standing structure today is the Burj Dubai, standing at 818 Meters, less than 1 kilometer. What are the greatest fears of those who build such tall structures? Either that the weight of the building will collapse in on itself from above, or that the building will topple in the wind as it rises higher and higher.

I see the economy in kind of the same way. As people amass assets and equity, they are in a sense building themself a tower. The more money they have, the more security they have, and of course, the greater their name is. Surely anyone can name who the ‘richest’ man in the world is – Bill Gates. Gates has a very tall and sturdy tower, with a solid base

Debt also works in the same way – as in people with much debt are also building towers. These towers are not as strong as asset towers, but they often grow just as fast. They are weak, lean towers with poor bases. As they continue to grow and grow, they are in danger of toppling over. Asset towers are just as vulnerable – they are susceptible to corruption from within, and may collapse at any time

Enter God. God sees the large city and tower that is being erected against Him. We know that our God is a jealous God (Ex 20:25, Ex 34:13, Deut 4:24, Josh 24:19, etc), and a city built to make a name for humans is an insult to our mighty God. God works in order to humble the people of the world, by scattering them, and confusing their language. God takes control of the situation and does what He needs to do in order to make Himself more glorified.

And in our time of economic turmoil, we mustn’t forget that God is at work here too. The western world has surely made a name for itself, and God has allowed the erection of many towering skyscrapers that reach towards heaven. It should come as no surprise to the Christian then that God is bringing the world to its knees with this recession. God has confused many people with a market that is on a roller coaster – up one day and way down the next. Yet people continue to turn to themselves to find the right answer to the problem.

I believe that there is a biblical answer to the problem of the economy. I know that it will never ever fly, but I believe with all my heart that should this method be used, that the entire world economy would rebound. Obama’s trillion dollar debt bailout is getting close, but not nearly close enough.

What Obama should do, starting in his own country (the biggest economy, they could be the greatest role models) is to announce a year of Jubilee. This year, described in Leviticus 25:8-55, was a year in which all debts were erased, slaves were freed, and the wealthy took care of the poor. This year was ordained by God to occur every fifty years – yet not once after it’s command in Leviticus 25 is it ever recorded to have happened. And why would any business want this to happen? The credit card companies would have a fit if this were ever proposed!

But can you imagine? All of those debt towers would be wiped clean – and I do mean all of them, from personal bank accounts to the deficit of the country. How many people think that if they could just get enough money to be out of debt how free they would be – can you imagine what it would be like for the whole world, or even just a whole country, to get a chance to start over again?

Obama’s bad debt purchase is a step in the right direction. But we should see some debt forgiveness! That will really spur consumers to spending, because they will have more money, money that they aren’t putting away to pay their creditors.

All this being said, the only way to survive this economic whirlpool is to keep God in the spotlight. This is His story, and He is writing it. Trying to explain this downturn without God is getting economists into big trouble – they are like double-minded people, one says it is getting better, another says it is getting worse. I say, it is only as bad as God wants it to be – and praise Him for it!